Project Overview:

As the Art Students League of Denver celebrates our 35th anniversary, we are mindful of our place in the present and in the future. Our building serves as the physical centerpiece of our community while the artists who’ve engaged in creating art throughout ASLD's lifespan are the emotional center. We are also aware of the tremendous changes in the surrounding community that have taken place over the past several decades: as Denver booms economically and shifts demographically, there is rising tension around what histories are told, who gets to tell them, and what it means to our present. Therefore, we would like to recognize our 35th anniversary through conversation and discussion of our community’s collective history.

Artists will create a series of flags, banners, pennants, and other fiber art pieces to display on ASLD’s flag pole and on a mobile flagpole throughout different neighborhoods over 18 months.  The fiber art pieces will contemplate our region’s history. A steering committee comprising a group of artists, historians, and community members will select a set which facts and images to have created. The final pieces will be displayed on the flagpole at ASLD’s site at 200 Grant Street, Denver, CO, as well as other locations throughout the metro area.

At each display location, we will have QR codes providing information on the meaning of flags, including their history and symbolism. Displays will be changed out on a regular basis over the 18 months, and programming will accompany each set, including panel discussions and other forums for conversation. 

This program is supported by a P.S. You Are Here grant through Denver Arts & Venues.

Goal:

To represent Denver's history in a way that is visible/tangible and demonstrates recognition of its intricate evolutions as we move into the future. History is all around us and is affecting many of our cultures and policies today. Art can help us create a foundation for difficult conversations about our past so that we come together for our future.

Examples of events and places:

• Chinatown in Denver
• Amache
• 1863 fire destroys much of Denver, leading to brick building laws
• Barney Ford—Black entrepreneur, hotel owner
• Stock show
• The land that Denver sits on originally belonged to the Arapaho tribe, as laid out in the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Scope of Work: 

• Artists will submit proposals for flags to be included in the project
• Artists will be selected and notified in March. We will be accepting between 12-18 proposals.
• Selected artists will receive a stipend of $750
• Artists will be responsible for designing and fabricating their work by May 1. Artists may have access to ASLD’s fiber arts studio if necessary. Artists will have the opportunity to be paired with fiber artists to help carry out their vision.
• ASLD will provide ripstock nylon in a variety of colors as well as posca markers and acrylic paints. Artists will have the option to create their own flags following the guidelines for materials.

Questions about this project/call for entry can be submitted via email to Rachel Basye at r.basye@asld.org

Application Requirements

Application Requirements:

• Short narrative description of history even/people/place
• Simple schematic for how many flags/banners, pennants it would take to visually share the event/people/place
• CV/resume with current contact information
• Up to five sample images of previous artwork

Eligibility Criteria

Proposals are open to emerging and established Colorado artists sharing proposals on what historic events/people/places should be included and how they would artistically interpret these events/people/places.